Not much action in this one folks. But don't click that home button yet, there's a lot of plot in this chapter.

Chapter 4: Origin

Family.

Such a simple and small word, yet it's so powerful at the same time. This one little word can help you through anything, allow you to conquer any challenge. Family has that magic power that can chase away the darkness, and make it so you have nothing to fear. I experienced this great feeling for only eight short years before my mother died. And I only remember about three of them. Think about it, when's the last time you remembered what your life was like when you were five? But that's beside the point. My mom loved me from the day I was put in her care, and I loved her right back. But it didn't last. No child should have to cry at their parent's deathbead at such a young age. But it happened, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. The doctors that treated her never did figure out what she died of, and I never learned how it happened. Well, not until the fateful day that I had officially met Pikachu.

Yeah, those times when I had come across him before we were seperated don't count. When I changed Amy back to...Amy. I immedietely asked Pikachu what the heck was going on. Of course, I didn't get an answer right away, first off, Amy's family pulled up to the beach in the boat. Her family had all jumped out right away, and they all engaged in a group hug. I looked longingly at that scene, feeling my own desires of a family emphasize themselves. I sighed and let them have their moment. Pikachu seemed to sense my feelings and put his paw on my ankle as he could reach no higher. He smiled at me, and told me the words that I needed to hear most of all.

Ready to go home?

After all was said and done, Amy dragged me over to their truck and her father drove us back. All the way back to their place, I was silent. With Amy's folks debating whether or not to call the police and Pikachu in my lap and Amy looking at me with concerned looks, what could I say? Before Amy's family had arrived, I told Amy and Pikachu all about the dream I had had the night before, and they didn't have a response for me. Well, I knew Amy didn't, but Pikachu definitely knew a lot more than he had told me thus far. He was just saving the info for later. And I don't blame him, it's some pretty heavy stuff.

After coming to the conclusion of not calling the police as no one would believe them, Amy's parents guided everyone into their living room. My God, this family included the most understanding people in the world. Not only did they not freak out when they found out I was the Lugia, they didn't think any less of me because of it. Same with their daughter and her new abilities. Although I suppose that would be a given, like I said, I didn't experience family for a long time. In any case, they were still willing to take me into their home when they found out, and I don't think I could have been any more grateful.

I took a seat on the couch, next to Amy. Leo sat next to me, his new hero. And Amy's parents sat in individual armchairs, and we were all were looking at the same thing. Pikachu stood in the center of the room with his arms crossed. He frowned as he decided his words. It was finally time for me to get the information I wanted. Like, just who this Pikachu was, why he was here, and what in God's name was happening to me.

"Okay, talk," I said, starting up the long conversation. "You said that you have answers. So what are they?"

Uh, he was hesitating. It was obvious that he wanted to speak to just me on this subject. Amy and her family must not have been part of this equation. But as he had no choice, he decided to drop that hope. Okay Ventus. What do you want to know first?

"First I want to know why you keep calling me that."

Because it's your name.

"For the last time, that doesn't make sense."

You know that you're not going to believe me right?

"I'll hear what you have to say first, then I'll decide what I think is true."

Okay, um...there isn't a way to say this without freaking you out, but you're not actually a human. Amy and her family all either gasped, widened their eyes or just plain stared at me with shocked and confused looks. They might've been startled by this news, but I wasn't, surprisingly. In fact, I figured that out a while ago.

"I got that far," I replied nonchalantly. Everyone else just stared at me. But honestly, I couldn't care less.

Yeah, but it's not that simple.

"There's a lot of words I could use to describe this. Simple isn't one of them."

Fair enough. But it's more complicated than you think. You see, you weren't actually born in this world.

"What do you mean?"

What I mean is that you're originally from another world. That's the news I wasn't expecting. I didn't have a response to that. Who would? I stared at Pikachu like he had a disease or something. I told you before that your father was the guy who's been talking to you in your dreams right?

"Yeah."

Well that's the truth. You're really a Lugia.

"Back up, I don't understand."

Okay. It'll be easier if you just read my mind.

"What?"

I'm gonna send you an image of your past, okay?

"What're you-" I didn't finish that sentence. Because at that moment, I swear, I left that room. I was looking at Pikachu puzzlingly in one second, and the next, my world went white. Seriously, the whole room was suddenly being covered in white light. It's like I was in a blizzard. I couldn't see or hear anything, I was totally blind and deaf.

Then it all stopped. Slowly but surely my eyes began to make out faint outlines. Then details were added to the picture, and finally the world was flooded with colour. But I wasn't in Amy's house anymore. I was back. Back in my dreams. At least, that's what I thought at first. I was standing on the same island I had been standing on in dreamland not twelve hours earlier. Only there was one difference this time. This time I was standing right next to the nest on the island, looking down at a smaller version of, well, me. The Lugia me, at least.

This Lugia was a couple feet shorter than me as a human. It looked like a newborn. It still had all the features of a Lugia, but it was just small. Not to mention that it was a slight bit on the cute side. This isn't a very manly thing to say, but this thing was adorable. It was curled up and sleeping peacefully in the nest. It's shoulders were slowly moving up and down as it breathed deeply. I watched the thing and smiled. The only thought I had about this was that this guy was going to be all right. He was going to have to a great life.

Then I heard someone approaching from behind me. I would've tried to hide or move at least, but I couldn't. I was observing this scene, and that's how it was going to stay apparently. When the presence past me, I finally saw who it was. It was him. The guy I'd been talking to in my dreams. But here's the weird thing, he didn't take note of me at all. I stared at him in wonder. He looked exactly like me in my Lugia form, but he was about seven feet taller than I was. That's when I figured out that no matter how large I was in my Lugia form, I still wasn't fully grown. I was still just a kid, and that's what gave me my next idea.

When I realized that I was still a young Lugia, I looked back at the newborn Lugia in the nest. I blinked at it as an idea began to form in my head. When the adult Lugia had stopped by the nest, the little one rolled over in its sleep. Yep, it rolled over right on its back. That's when the adult Lugia smiled and slowly lowered his wingtip to the child and slowly scratched the baby's belly. The kid started laughing an adorable (Once again, macho aren't I?) baby's laugh. It was incredible how remarkably...human these birds were. And to prove that point, another figure walked into this scene. Another Lugia. Only this one was different.

Wherever this Lugia should have had blue colouring, it had green. There were emerald green plates on its back instead of the blue ones I've known thus far. The same was up with its tail spikes, the mask over its eyes, and the feathers on its chest were also shaded with an emerald hue. The two also had two other things that differed about them. The one with blue colouring, was slightly taller, by a couple feet at least. The other thing was the colour of their eyes. The taller one had eyes of a deep blue shade, while the other had a warm red hue embeded in their eyes.

I realized then what this was all about. These two adult Lugia were parents. Two parents marvelling at their child that was just brought into the world. The idea that was forming in my mind was being proven. I looked at the infant Lugia again and I had an epiphany.

Is that...me? I thought as I stared at the peacefully snoozing newborn. Since I was about as noticeable as a polar bear in a snowstorm here, I walked up to the young little Lugia. I didn't disturb the ground at all as I walked. I kneeled down next to the little guy and took a closer look.

That's when everything went to hell.

The sky went dark. Yes, I am serious. The amazingly perfect blue sky dramatically changed to the familiar dank purple colour. I stood and looked straight up. My mouth dropped open and my eyes stared unblinkingly at the sky. The wind was starting to pick up. My hair was flapping around like a flag in response to the sudden miniature hurricane. The trees were doing the same. They looked like they were about to snap like twigs in the immense force. I found this strange. The wind hadn't done this the three times that this had happened to me. I didn't understand, and I wouldn't until much later. The only thing I knew right then was that this little trip I was taking was getting worse by the second.

When the wind started picking up, the two parents stepped into action. Now, if you take just one thing from everything I'm telling you, let it be this. These two were devoted parents. They may have been acting with human characteristics, but these two had some animal instinct in them. If something was endangering their young, they were ready to fight to the death to protect it.

Speaking of the young one, he woke up right away. And in classic child fashion, he got scared and ran to his mother. The mother turned out to be the Lugia with the green colours. Go figure. Anyway, the kid burried his face in his mother's feathers and clung to her. The mother folded him in her wings protectively and glared up in the sky, almost daring someone to try and harm her child. As for the father, he got up in the air. He seemed to already know what was about to happen, as did I. The sky rippled, and once again, many figures began to manifest themselves in the form of dark grimy slime. The thing is, I recognized these ones. The dark birds were back.

The birds appeared by the hundreds. It was similar, if not identical, to my first experience with the things. The birds flew straight for the father Lugia. Wow, did they ever regret it. You gotta understand, this was one dedicated father. The moment those birds came swooping at him, Lugia issued a strong Aeroblast directly at the nearest dangers. They vaporized instantly. But he didn't fire just one shot, he fired twenty, minimum. He spared no expense in defeating these creatures. Once the frontline troops were taken care of, Lugia continued to fire at the sky, destroying the creatures before they had completely formed in the sky. He showed no mercy.

While all of this was going on, I couldn't help but marvel at these creatures. They were so strong, yet gentle. So calm, yet fierce. But one thing remained constant with them. They were a family.

But enough about my personal thoughts, bigger things were happening. While the father Lugia took his rage out on the dark birds, the true intention of the birds became clear. I remember hearing something that sounded like an explosion. I looked up in the sky, and saw something that would be forever burned into my memory.

The sky was opening.

That's the only way I can describe it. A huge hole was being ripped open in the sky. Its diameter was about the size of Lugia, making it huge. The hole went on into a black void into which no light could penetrate. And as if that wasn't unbelievable enough, there was something coming out of that hole.

I didn't know what it was. The only thing I could tell at that point was that it was a giant shadow. That was all. There was a gargantuan shadow descending from that hole. The shadow resembled the shape of a snake, but it had no features whatsoever. The shadow wormed its way out of the hole and continued on its way down towards the island. Lugia forgot about the birds and flew towards the ominous shadow. This proved to be a fruitless effort. The shadow snaked its smoky form around Lugia's body. Lugia thrashed around, trying to get the shadow away from him. The shadow didn't seem to be affected by brute force. All of a sudden Lugia stopped thrashing around wildly. He hovered for a second and then released the most bloodcurdling, pain-induced scream.

Lugia's scream didn't sound like you think it would. When this guy screamed, it literally shook the earth. The ground was becoming unstable underneath my feet. The scream itself made me cover my ears. Imagine, if you will, a dozen chalkboards, all having a dozen sets of fingernails scratching each one. That would be like the voice of an angel compared to Lugia's pain. I think some of his telepathic abilities had something to do with it, but I didn't have time to think about it. At that moment Lugia dropped from the sky. He had ceased flying due to pain, and he landed right in front of me. He appeared to be down for the count, and the shadow was still around.

The shadow descended ever further. The mother of the young Lugia had watched in horror as her mate had been utterly maimed. When he fell, she knew he would survive, but that didn't stop her from being horrified from it. She turned her eyes from her beloved mate to the shadow that had caused the damage. She held her child closer to her. The kid himself was shaking uncontrollably with fear.

I couldn't do anything. I was only an observer. I nearly killed myself from the agony of having to watch this without doing anything. But suddenly, I was doing more than just watching. I was beginning to hear things in my head. Before all of this madness started, I would've thought I was going crazy, but right then, I wasn't sure. If I didn't know better I would say it was my voice I was hearing. Wait, was that my voice? It sounded a bit like me, sure, but if it was then I sounded like a really little kid.

I'm scared mama, the juvenile voice said in my head. At first I assumed that the smaller Lugia was making his thoughts known through telepathy. But when I couldn't hear the mother's answer, I dropped that thought, and yet the youthful voice kept conversing with itself. What are these mean things? Why did they hurt daddy? I could've sworn that these thoughts were my own, but it was impossible. I wasn't the kid, I couldn't feel what he was feeling. Or could I? I was so confused.

That feeling didn't last long. There was something bigger going on. The shadow was making its way toward the ground. The mother tried launching an Aeroblast at it, but the powerful burst of energy went right through it. She instead braced herself for what that shadow could do. She wrapped her wings around her child tight. She would protect this kid from anything this shadow could dish out.

But nothing could prepare her for the pain she was about to experience. The shadow surrounded her body, coiling around her like a serpent. Nothing happened for a few seconds, but then I saw her eyes grow wide. Then I heard it again. The mother Lugia screamed in agony. She was in dire pain, and she wasn't afraid to show it. She hung in there for a while. Longer than I thought she would. But I saw her shudder from pain, and with one last fleeting look at the child she loved, she fell back, leaving the kid wide open for attack.

That's when the kid freaked out. The thoughts were still pouring into my mind, and I couldn't do anything but watch as they did. Mama? I could see the kid's eyes beginning to tear up. He was terrified. Mama? What's wrong mama? The kid began to approach his mother, but the shadow wasn't done yet. It was no longer interested in either of the adult Lugia. It went after the only target left. The kid. The shadow faced its real target and coiled itself around the helpless child. The kid was beginning to cry out for his parents using his high pitched voice box. The shadow squeezed him, holding him in place. The shadow then did something I didn't expect. The shadow began to rise. It was ascending, taking the kid with it. It was going back to its point of origin. It was taking the child back through the the hole!

What's going on? Stop it! STOP IT! I want my mama! And with those last few words, the shadow pulled the child into the infinite black void. That's when the mother called out in a melodious voice, shouting the one word that would be forever carved into my mind.

VENTUS!

And then my world went white again. My eyes were flooded with the white light that made absolutely nothing visible. After a few seconds, my vision returned. I was back in Amy's living room. I looked at Amy and her family. They were all blinking rapidly as if they had just woken up from a deep sleep. They had obviously seen what I just saw. And of course, Pikachu was still standing right in front of me.

"How did you do that?" I asked.

I didn't do anything, he thought as a reply, you did. You just read my thoughts is all.

"Okay, enough with the partial answers. Just explain what that was all about! That kid...he was me...right?"

Yeah. Those were your parents. That was you. You were taken from them when you were just a baby.

"But I don't get it. Where...was I taken?"

To answer that, you're in need of a science lesson. Do you know what the multiverse theory is? A theory of parallel universes existing side by side? Well, it's true. Each universe has its own unique quality. For example, in this universe, humans are the dominant species and pokemon don't exist at all. In another universe, pokemon is an entertainment franchise. And in my, and your original universe, pokemon are the only inhabitants.

"So that shadow-thingy brought Zack here?" Amy asked. For a second, I honestly didn't know she was talking about me. All of a sudden, the name 'Zack' seemed so...foreign. I almost didn't recognize it. But I got focused quick. "Why would it do that?"

I dunno. Y'see, years ago, the portals between these parallel worlds were completely open. People could travel between the worlds at any time. But over time they just seemed to close up. The portals completely shut long before you were even born, Ventus. So, how that shadow even opened that portal to this world was something even Lugia hasn't figured out.

"That's another thing," I said suddenly, "what exactly is a Lugia?"

Well, to put it simply, you're practically a god.

"Oh, is that all?"

Alright smart guy, be quiet. Your kind has existed since the dawn of time. You've watched over our world as guardians. What's really cool is that you can live for the thousands of years! In Lugia years, you're still technically an infant.

"Good to know."

Didn't I just say to be quiet? Anyway, listen. The portal that that shadow opened wasn't very stable. After it dragged you through, it wasn't able to transport much of anything else. It didn't have the energy. That's when your parents had to make a decision. They weren't gonna let you go. Ventus, they loved you very much. When I heard those words, I felt something. Something good, but I couldn't quite place it. Let's just say that a knot untwisted in my heart. Anyway, they knew all about the portals. And they knew exactly where that one would go. But the thing was, even with their power, they couldn't keep the portal open for long. Nor could they stabilize the portal any more than it already was. Only one of them could go. And in the end, your mother was the one to head to this world.

"Wait, are you telling me that-"

Yep, when your mom went through that portal, she found you easily. And you know what happened next? After she came to this world, the portal between the worlds closed and she was stuck there. So, with her power, she turned you human. She knew she would have to blend into this new world with you or you wouldn't survive. So she gave you the human body you have right now. So, suffice it to say that she gave you the perfect human body.

"What do you mean, perfect body?" I wasn't exactly sure what he meant. I wasn't exactly the muscly-type. I had never outrun anybody during Gym Class or anything like that.

Let me put it this way. Have you ever caught a cold? When he said that, I was confused at first, but then I realized something. I had never been sick a day in my life. If, at any time, I was injured, I healed fast. Your mom loved you. And that's why she gave you a body that's impenetrable to any human disease. She didn't want anything to happen to you. Unfortunately, she used up most of her power making that body for you, and could only make a temporary body for herself. She turned herself human as well, so she could take care of you. She gave you a more common human name so you could fit in better.

"Wait, so..." I was in shock. Pikachu had basically just told me that the woman who I had thought to be my adopted mother, was my real mother. She had loved me like her own because I was her own.

She adapted to the customs of this world pretty quickly. It also helped that she could...manipulate certain people's minds to get further, faster. But like I said earlier, her human body was only temporary. It wasn't exactly...built to last. I'm sorry. I finally understood. The mystery of my mother's death had been solved. She didn't expect to live that long. She knew her body would give out at some point. Before she left for this world, your parents knew that the portals would one day, open up again. They knew that when that time came, it would be the perfect opportunity for you to return. The thing is, the portals wouldn't be as easy to use as they once were. They would spark up again, but they wouldn't be strong enough to actually transport you, not by a long shot. So, in order to strengthen the portals, they invoked the help of the other legendary birds.

"Others? There are others?"

You bet! Moltres, bird of fire, Zapdos, bird of lightning, Ho-Oh, the great phoenix bird, and Articuno, bird of ice, all lended a hand, or a wing in this case. Y'see, they gave up some of their own life force in order to help your parents, as well as yourself. They took their own abilities and gave them to your parents. These collections of their powers came in the form of medallions.

"So that's what this is!" Amy said, pulling her medallion out of her pocket. "I always wondered."

Yeah, that medallion is a collection of Articuno's life force energy. Y'see, your folks were able to send these medallions into this world. Hoping against hope that they would find their way to the humans who could help you. And I'm happy to say that it did. Amy's living proof of it. The medallions have two functions. Y'see their original intention was to provide the energy you need, Ventus, to keep a portal open long enough for you to get through once they started reappearing. But they can also do something else. When the medallions come in contact with a Legendary Bird, a.k.a. yourself, they activate. And upon activation, they have the power to transform certain humans into the pokemon they were created from. But like I said, only a select few can actually do so. One per medallion. These people are chosen by the one who activated the medallion in the first place. That would be you, Ven, who chose Amy here.

"But I didn't!" I replied. I never wanted Amy to take part in any of this. "I never chose anyone!"

Oh, but you did. You may not have known it, but the subconscious mind is a powerful thing. Yours is especially powerful. You chose Amy, because she's your trusted friend. The only way you can make a portal strong enough to get back home through is with all four of the medallions.

"Okay. I can understand that. But, what about me? How come I can transform back and forth?"

There's another important question. The truth is, your body is just getting used to going back to your original form. Reverting back and forth helps the transition process. From this point onward, your body will slowly begin to stay in your Lugia form. Soon Ven, you won't be able to go back to this human form. For some reason, that fact didn't bother me. I liked being in my true form. The transition started when you got hold of the Silver Wing, y'know the silver feather. It's one of your very own feathers. I finally found you and put the Silver Wing among your stuff while you were in that hospital. Your changes are gonna be subtle at first. For example, your eyes are now permanently back to their original colour. Red.

"They have?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it," Amy began, looking me in the eye, "your eyes are looking kind of red. Wait-no, really red." I guessed that my body would be undergoing some changes. It couldn't be helped, I would just have to deal with it.

"There's something else I don't get," I said. "I know what my mother was doing, but what about my father? What's he been up to for these thirteen years?"

That's just it. He's had nothing to do. You and your mother were his whole life. Without you, he sort of, stopped caring. He got more miserable every day until the point that he didn't watch over the planet the way he once did. There's no other way to say it, but, he lost the will to live. But he's getting better, bit by bit. Know why? Because recently, the portals have begun appearing again. He's getting hopeful. And he should, because you're getting back to your true form. Soon, he's gonna have his son back.

I didn't know what to say. It was all so much to take in. It was strange. I had always felt like I was meant for something other than my human existence. And it turned out that I was always meant for the life that most could only dream of. The life of a divine beast. What a tuesday afternoon, huh?

"Only thing left to ask is, what about you?" I asked Pikachu. He looked back at me puzzillingly. "How do you know about all this? And just who are you?"

Oh, that's easy. Y'see, before you were born, your parents knew you would need a friend. Someone you could grow up with. Since I had no family of my own, they chose yours truly. I was sort of meant to be your best friend. And that's how I know about all of this. When the portals began to re-open, your father was able to send me through one. He couldn't go himself, due to the lack of energy the portals had, but I was small enough for the portals to get me here. So, the moment I got to this world, I started looking for you. It took me a couple of weeks, but I found you. And I used your feather to do it. It acted sort of like a homing device, getting me closer to you every day. And when I kept getting seperated from you, I found my own way of finding you. How? Well, that's my little secret.

I was touched. This guy had literally travelled through time and space to find me. I hardly knew the guy, and he was willing to do that for me.

"Well...thanks," I didn't know what else I could say. This was really hard to take in all at once.

No prob. Anyway, you probably want to know what these things that keep attacking you are. To be honest, I have no idea. Neither does your father for that matter. It's a mystery. But one thing's for sure. They're related to the thing that took you away from your parents in the first place. I don't know what they are, or what their ultimate objective is. All I know is that for some reason, they don't want you two to have a family reunion. Maybe that's why they took you. Because they know that you and your dad together can stop them. That's my theory anyway.

I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. My whole life's purpose had just been laid out before me. I didn't know at first, it seemed so out-landish. Like a bad science fiction movie. But it all made so much sense. It explained the figure that kept appearing in my dreams, telling me to come home night after night. It was my father, trying to reach his son. It explained what this whole 'transition process' and what it was doing to me. The mark on my hand was proof of it. And on a side note, it all explained my clothes. These clothes were my Lugia skin in clothing form. Amy's clothes never changed because she wasn't actually a Legendary Bird. Just a temporary one. It also explained why my mother had married my jackass stepfather. I needed a father figure. Unfortunately, she didn't pick 'em so well.

"Well Amy," I said, standing up. "This is where we part ways." After saying those words, Amy gave me a look that seemed to scream, 'you're kidding right?' "Amy this is serious. I've got to do this without you."

"Forget that," she replied. "I'm goin' with you! And that's final."

"Oh no it's not," said Amy's mother. I turned to her. I had almost forgotten that Amy's family was still in the room. They hadn't said a word the entire time. "There is no way I'm letting you go! You almost got killed today, and I'm not letting you go through that again!"

"Oh come on mom," Amy said, talking as if she was asking to go to a party, "Zack'll be with me, and I can help-"

"YOU COULD DIE!" I screamed. Amy lost her calmness towards the situation once I did. "Amy, I couldn't live with that. Stop acting like this is all a trip to the mall 'cause it's not! Don't you understand? You might never see anyone else in this room EVER AGAIN! Do you want that to happen? No, you're not coming with me!"

But Ven, Pikachu said suddenly, she has to come! Without the person you chose to give the medallions to, the medallions can't be used to their full potential.

"I don't care! This is my problem and no one's going to deal with it but me!"

"Get over yourself!" Amy said. And here's what happened next. She slapped me. She struck me right across the face. And man did it ever hurt. Like I've said, she's tough, and I think she gave me a headache with that slap. "You want to get home right? Well you're gonna need me! And don't forget, since you're human right now, I can kick your but until you let me come along!"

"NO!" That time I didn't say anything. Amy's mom still wasn't gonna give her up. I was liking her more by the minute. "I almost lost you today! I'm not putting myself through that again!"

"Well think about how his dad feels!" Amy retorted. Her mom looked puzzled. "He's had to let his son grow up without him for thirteen years! I have the chance to help reunite a family! Aren't you always telling me I should do more things for others?"

"Not this extreme!" Amy's mother wasn't giving up without a fight. And it was a good thing too because I was still sort of winded from the slap Amy had just given me. But then Amy's father spoke up, and I swear, he spoke with the most wisdom I'd heard all day.

"Dear, I think she should go," he said. Amy's mother looked at him like he was insane, and I agreed with her. But what he said next made me see things differently. "I think this is something our daughter has to do." He then turned to me, and I saw experience in his eyes. It's like he knew exactly what had to be done in this situation. "Zack. From the moment I saw you, I had a feeling about you. I can't explain it, but I knew there was more to you than meets the eye. Zack, human or not, I can tell that you're a good person. And if my daughter can help you, then I'm all for it." I didn't know what to say. No one had ever spoken to me like that before, and certainly not an adult. I knew then that I had to bring Amy with me. There was no choice. I guess this is just the way fate intended it.

"Promise me one thing before you two leave," Amy's dad continued, "take care of her Zack. She's my only daughter, and I'd prefer to have her in one piece."

I got a small smile. This family was crazy. And I wouldn't have it any other way. "Sure thing."

"Wait, you can't go!" Leo suddenly piped up. I had literally forgotten he was there. "Not without taking me for a ride. I wanna fly!"

"You little jerk!" Amy yelled at her little brother. "You weren't listening at all, were you?"

"Maybe I was and maybe I wasn't, what's your point? All I know is that you've gone for a ride and I haven't!"

"Alright Leo," I said, chuckling as I ruffled his hair a little. "But only one ride per customer. Deal?"

"Yay!" He said as he actually jumped for joy. I looked back at pikachu. The little guy stared right back at me. I learned a lot about myself that day. And it had all come from the brain of this small creature. He was essentially meant to be my brother, but I didn't even know he existed. It was amazing how fragile it all was. Life, I mean. Mine was taken from me shortly after I was born. And now I had to reclaim it. But I realized something at that moment. I wouldn't have to do it alone. For the first time, I could share my experiences with someone. Two people actually. Amy, and Pikachu.

"Wait a second," I said abruptly. Pikachu tilted his head quizzically. "If I have a name and I'm a pokemon, shouldn't you?"

Someone catches on fast, he replied, snickering slightly as he did. You can call me Lucan.

Lucan, Amy and I were leaving the next day. For some reason, I didn't sleep a wink. I had a lot to think about, I guess. Just a few days earlier I was taking the beatings from my stepfather. But during the day Lucan explained everything, I felt...stronger. Wait-no, that's not it. Peaceful. That's the best way I can tell you about it. I felt more in-tune with myself.

Anyway, the next day, Amy said her goodbyes to her family. And man, did they stretch this farewell out. Amy's dad broke into a crying fit. Yeah, her mom's eyes stayed dry, but her dad was bawling. It was hard for me to believe that this man could've said the words of wisdom I heard the previous evening. He had done all of Amy's packing for her. Although he spent the previous night getting everything ready for her, all he gave her was a backpack. And not a big one at that. I let them have their moment. Of course, Leo didn't seem to care that his sister was leaving, and was more sad about me taking off. He kept asking me to stay forever, and I just kept pretending no to hear him. Amy's mother was hysterical. She knew Amy was going, but that didn't stop her from completely freaking out. I hated to tear this family apart. But I knew, deep down, that it couldn't be helped. I needed Amy.

It was five 'o clock in the morning. We needed to leave early if I wasn't going to be seen transforming and flying. We had decided to take off from Amy's backyard. After that, we would head toward our destination as fast as possible. I thought finding the medallions would be a problem, after all, we didn't have any idea of where to look. But little did I know that I was getting better at having unlimited psychic abilities. During the night I had a vision. Not just any vision, but a vision of the location of the next medallion. An island in the west held the answer, and I knew just how to get there. Either I was improving, or my father was somehow helping me out. Later, I found out that it was the latter.

"All ready?" I asked Amy once her family said their final goodbyes.

"Yep," she replied, putting her hand on one of my shoulders. I also had Lucan sitting on the other. "Listen, I know you're worried about me. But it'll be fine, trust me." I nodded. I had given up all hope of leaving her behind. Since she was raring to go, I turned around and said the three words that started our journey together.

"Silver Soul!"

The light came to transform me. This transformation was no different than the others. Actually, there was a difference. This time, I felt more confident going into it. The transformation this time felt more...complete. When the light faded, Lucan had changed his position from my shoulder to my head. I looked behind me to find that Amy was climbing up my back plates. Once she got a good grip around my neck and gave me the 'all clear,' I took off. I ascended slowly so she could wave back at her family one last time. They waved right back, and a few seconds later, I sped up, and the three of us were on our way.

"Where're we going anyway, Zack?" Amy asked after about twenty minutes of flying. I hadn't told her of my vision yet. For that matter, Lucan was out of the loop as well. But that wasn't important. What was important was that I really didn't answer to the name 'Zack' that time. The name just seemed so unfamiliar then. She had to say it a few more times before I realized she was talking to me, and that's when I finally came to terms with my new name. I didn't mind it at all. Ventus sounded cooler anyway.

I'm not Zack anymore, I said to her. She was confused, I could sense it. Fortunately, my next sentence seemed to clear things up. Name's Ventus now.

End of Chapter four!

You all still with me? That's good, I hope I''m not going too fast with this plot thing.

Catch y'all on the flip side!